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Maddon: Rays could roll to World Series

Published: Friday, February 14, 2014 at 4:19 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, February 14, 2014 at 4:19 p.m.

PORT CHARLOTTE - Leave it to Joe Maddon, the one-of-a-kind manager for the Tampa Bay Rays, to park a 40-foot RV next to his first press conference of spring training.

"Merlot Joe," famous for his taste in wine, will split time with "RV Joe," who has a flair for spring accommodations.

After taking questions about the Tampa Bay lineup, Maddon led tours of his Phaeton recreational vehicle, where he will live for the next month and a half as the Rays prepare for the 2014 Major League baseball season here.

When asked to compare his RV to the Rays, he played along.

"We're very versatile, we're agile, we fit into relatively tight corners, we're able to escape," Maddon said, without missing a beat. "We're trendy, we're something new, we're more popular all the time. And you could easily see this parked outside a World Series venue."

Maddon, a silver-haired 60-year-old, wore black sunglasses and turquoise sneakers, along with a Rays sweatshirt and shorts. General Manager Andrew Friedman, a boyish 37, wore jeans, a checkered shirt and his own pair of shades.

While Friedman spoke baseball-ese and evaded specific personnel questions, Maddon served up one-liners and easygoing slang.

On the return of ace pitcher David Price, the former Cy Young Award winner who many thought would be traded:

"He's so important to what we do on the field. And I love what he does when he's not pitching. I love the craziness in the clubhouse."

On adding catcher Ryan Hanigan to the Rays lineup:

"Ryan Hanigan's an interesting cat. He's an interesting hitter. ... I talked with Ryan Hanigan yesterday for five minutes. I thought I had known him for 10 years."

On picking up a motto for this season from All-Star third baseman Evan Longoria, who read a management book this winter called "Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't:"

"I want us to eat last this year. That's the big thing. Eating last is very important. It'd be cool to enjoy the last supper at the end of the year."

Friedman and Maddon talked about the goals of winning the American League East division, moving beyond the first round of the playoffs, and making the World Series. They dismissed the idea of jinxing their chances.

"My god, if you believe in jinxes, don't even do this," Maddon joked. "It's exciting. It's interesting. The players are excited about it. They're talking World Series talk."

When Maddon isn't managing, he likes to take long bicycle rides. He's fond of classic cars and convertibles. In the Rays parking lot, he has a 1967 Ford Galaxie, burnt orange with a white soft top.

His RV has four pull-out sections and a paint job in gray, maroon and black.

The handling? "It's fun to drive." Gas mileage? "Horrid. I'd say 7 to 9 miles per gallon." Storage? "There's lots of room underneath — what we call the basement in the RV world."

Talking about his trip to Port Charlotte reminded Maddon how much he loves spring training, the nostalgia of baseball, and the annual hopes for the season.

"Don't ever go so quickly that you can't appreciate driving down the interstate to be a part of this," he said. "Because it's pretty cool."

<p><em>PORT CHARLOTTE</em> - Leave it to Joe Maddon, the one-of-a-kind manager for the Tampa Bay Rays, to park a 40-foot RV next to his first press conference of spring training.</p><p>"Merlot Joe," famous for his taste in wine, will split time with "RV Joe," who has a flair for spring accommodations.</p><p>After taking questions about the Tampa Bay lineup, Maddon led tours of his Phaeton recreational vehicle, where he will live for the next month and a half as the Rays prepare for the 2014 Major League baseball season here.</p><p>When asked to compare his RV to the Rays, he played along.</p><p>"We're very versatile, we're agile, we fit into relatively tight corners, we're able to escape," Maddon said, without missing a beat. "We're trendy, we're something new, we're more popular all the time. And you could easily see this parked outside a World Series venue."</p><p>Rays management looked confident and casual at a noon press conference outside the team's spring home, Charlotte Sports Park.</p><p>Maddon, a silver-haired 60-year-old, wore black sunglasses and turquoise sneakers, along with a Rays sweatshirt and shorts. General Manager Andrew Friedman, a boyish 37, wore jeans, a checkered shirt and his own pair of shades.</p><p>While Friedman spoke baseball-ese and evaded specific personnel questions, Maddon served up one-liners and easygoing slang.</p><p>On the return of ace pitcher David Price, the former Cy Young Award winner who many thought would be traded:</p><p>"He's so important to what we do on the field. And I love what he does when he's not pitching. I love the craziness in the clubhouse."</p><p>On adding catcher Ryan Hanigan to the Rays lineup:</p><p>"Ryan Hanigan's an interesting cat. He's an interesting hitter. ... I talked with Ryan Hanigan yesterday for five minutes. I thought I had known him for 10 years."</p><p>On picking up a motto for this season from All-Star third baseman Evan Longoria, who read a management book this winter called "Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't:"</p><p>"I want us to eat last this year. That's the big thing. Eating last is very important. It'd be cool to enjoy the last supper at the end of the year."</p><p>Friedman and Maddon talked about the goals of winning the American League East division, moving beyond the first round of the playoffs, and making the World Series. They dismissed the idea of jinxing their chances.</p><p>"My god, if you believe in jinxes, don't even do this," Maddon joked. "It's exciting. It's interesting. The players are excited about it. They're talking World Series talk."</p><p>When Maddon isn't managing, he likes to take long bicycle rides. He's fond of classic cars and convertibles. In the Rays parking lot, he has a 1967 Ford Galaxie, burnt orange with a white soft top.</p><p>His RV has four pull-out sections and a paint job in gray, maroon and black.</p><p>The handling? "It's fun to drive." Gas mileage? "Horrid. I'd say 7 to 9 miles per gallon." Storage? "There's lots of room underneath — what we call the basement in the RV world."</p><p>Talking about his trip to Port Charlotte reminded Maddon how much he loves spring training, the nostalgia of baseball, and the annual hopes for the season.</p><p>"Don't ever go so quickly that you can't appreciate driving down the interstate to be a part of this," he said. "Because it's pretty cool."</p>